The Parramatta Eels have scored an impressive 20-16 win over the North Queensland Cowboys in a tough, exciting game of football.
The Eels didn’t play too badly in round one but looked lost without Kieran Foran. His return in round two provided the Eels with a much needed field general on the park, and that extra guidance coupled with the tough Eels style of play made it a tough night for the NRL champions.
The Cowboys played well and really stepped up to the challenge, but the Eels were relentless and never took a backward step in a game that featured plenty of strong runs and a heap of crunching tackles!
The Eels forward pack has been really impressive in the first two rounds. They caused Brisbane some issues last night and against the Cowboys they really showed their toughness along with their good go forward.
Foran played well in his first real start for the Eels. He gave them that direction the Eels really lacked in the first round and helped the Eels do something when they got good field position. They really lacked that in round one.
Once again Michael Jennings was kept pretty quiet and didn’t see much football.
Nathan Peats looked to have a major elbow injury late in the second half and is likely to miss a number of weeks. That is a big loss for the Eels.
The Cowboys can’t feel too bad about this loss. They actually played pretty well and made the game close in the last minute with a late try. It was just one of those nights where one team played out of their skin against the current champions. The Cowboys will be better for coming up against an opponent like that so early in the season.
This was a great game of football. If the Eels can play like this consistently, they are going to be a handful for every team in the competition. They might not have the polish of the top side, but boy do they play tough!
